A Prayer on the Side of the Road (with Katie Zettle)

Summary

The Wake-Up Call: "A Prayer on the Side of the Road" (with Katie Zettel) Host: Dan Wilt
Date: July 25, 2026
Theme: Attuning to the Holy Spirit’s Promptings in Everyday Life

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Episode Overview

In this Holy Spirit Saturday installment, host Dan Wilt welcomes Pastor Katie Zettel to share a moving story about the power of attentive, Spirit-led interruptions in daily life. The episode centers on responding to God’s gentle nudges, even when busy, illustrating how acts of simple obedience can transform both the minister and those served. Through Katie’s example, listeners are encouraged to reorient their hearts and schedules around loving interruption, inviting Jesus’ power into the routine moments of community life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Foundation: Openness to the Holy Spirit

• Dan introduces the theme, highlighting the importance of walking through daily life with "your sails up," ready to perceive where the Holy Spirit might invite action (01:00).
• Emphasis on the practice of regularly asking, "Holy Spirit, is there something you're doing in someone's life that I can partner with you in?"
  • Quote: “The Holy Spirit is often speaking to us, but often we're not paying attention. Our sails aren't up, our radar isn't up…” — Dan Wilt (01:26)

Scripture Focus

• The day’s Scripture: “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) (01:57)
• Reflection on the simplicity and power behind a faithful prayer response.

Katie Zettel’s Story: Prayer on the Side of the Road (04:10)

• Katie, a Global Methodist pastor near Buffalo, NY, felt the Holy Spirit's prompting while driving to church, noticing a woman and two children carrying a heavy bag.
• Surrendering the Schedule: Initially content to drive by, Katie describes hearing, “Pray for her.” The spiritual nudge was insistent: "Yes, right now. And turn around and pray for her." (04:30)
• Acting Despite Barriers: She recounts the logistical obstacles—having to turn around twice as the family crossed the street.
  • “And then I pulled up to where they were walking. At this time, I could see that the mom was carrying a big bag of bottles to return to the store…” — Katie Zettel (05:07)
• Connection and Blessing: Katie learns the family’s names, prays with them through the open car window, offers encouragement, and gives out “little tiny Jesus” tokens—something she keeps on hand for such moments.
• Impact: Gratitude from the mother—“You just made my day.” (05:50)

Discernment and Obedience: Reflections on Real-Time Response

• Dan reflects on Katie’s persistence: “I think I might have said, okay, Lord. Well, I guess maybe I'm not supposed to do that... And yet you were like, no, I know this voice. I need to make it happen again.” (06:10)
• Katie describes the deep, inner “stirring in my heart that just will not let go. It's not an audible voice in my ear. It's a voice from the depths inside of me.” (07:05)
• Practice in discernment: With experience, the voice of the Spirit becomes familiar, leading to a steadier, trusting obedience—even when the outcome is unknown.

The Blessing of Holy Interruptions

• Katie credits the moment as not only a blessing for the family, but “a re-remembering that I can't just go about my day... Sometimes we get so caught up in our schedules and our to-do lists that we forget these are holy interruptions that God gives us, and they're little assignments—and huge blessings to us as well.” (08:05-08:45)
• Dan agrees: moments of Spirit-led service “not only has changed that woman and her children’s lives, I believe for their entire lifetime, maybe a family line—but also, she was touched by it.” (09:57)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan (01:26): "Our sails aren't up, our radar isn't up saying, 'Lord, do you want to use me in someone's life today?'"
• Katie (04:34): "I heard the Holy Spirit say, 'Pray for her.' And I thought, 'Right now?' And the voice in my heart said, 'Yes, right now, and turn around and pray for her.'"
• Katie (06:56): "It's this stirring in my heart that just will not let go. And it's not an audible voice in my ear. It's a voice coming from the depths of inside of me."
• Katie (08:29): "Sometimes we get so caught up in our schedules and our to do lists that we forget that these are holy interruptions that God gives us and they're little assignments and they are huge blessings to us as well."
• Dan (09:53): "She perceived what the father was doing and partnered with him in something that not only has changed that woman and her children's lives... but also she was touched by it."
• Katie (05:50): “You just made my day.” (recounted from the woman Katie prayed for)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:05–02:00: Introduction, “sails up” metaphor, Scripture reading (James 5:16)
• 03:25–03:50: Katie introduces herself
• 04:10–06:05: Katie shares her roadside prayer story
• 06:06–07:23: Dan and Katie discuss recognizing and following Spirit promptings
• 08:05–08:45: Katie reflects on the personal impact and blessing of obedience
• 09:40–09:55: Prayer of thanksgiving for Katie’s example
• 09:53–end: Dan offers takeaways, journal prompts, and practical encouragement for listeners to be open to Spirit-led interruptions

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Takeaways & Journal Prompts

• Reflection: “Jesus made an entire ministry out of his interruptions.” Who is God inviting you to pause and pray for today? (10:05)
• Action: Write down the name of someone God brings to mind and a brief prayer for them. Listen for whether to reach out or pray privately.
• Challenge: Respond in the how and when God leads—not just what. Remain open for further instruction.

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Episode Tone and Final Thoughts

The conversation is gentle, encouraging, and filled with practical spiritual wisdom. Dan and Katie speak conversationally, sharing vulnerability around daily schedules and God’s loving interruptions. The tone is invitational, urging listeners to be “apprentices” of Jesus in the everyday—to be “the person through whom he ministers to others in love.”

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Closing Blessing:
“Let's remember that awakening is the transformational journey of love from Jesus to a person, through a person, to a person, and so on... Let’s be that person through whom he ministers to others in love.” — Dan Wilt (12:05)

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Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Sower Nation Today is Saturday, July 25th in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Dan Wilt and this is your wake up call. Good morning. It's another Holy Spirit Saturday. These days I'm finding already are going to be incredibly encouraging to you as you learn what it means just to follow Jesus in everyday normal. As Eugene Peterson put it, walking around life just doing what you do but with your heart open with as you'll hear in our story today, your sails up saying, Holy Spirit, is there something you are doing in someone's life that you would give me the privilege of partnering with you in to pray for them, to express your love to them, to encourage them in a way that is really guided by your Holy Spirit? This isn't rocket science in many ways. I really believe that the Holy Spirit is often speaking to us, but often we're not paying attention. Our sales aren't up, our radar isn't up saying lord, do you want to use me in someone's life today or do you want to more accurately move through me to do your ministry in their life? So I'm really looking forward to you hearing today's story and I'll talk about that in a moment. So wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Let's pray our prayer of consecration as we begin today's meeting with Jesus. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, today's entry and story is titled A Prayer on the side of the Road and our passage for today is a very short one from James 5:16 Bible Hear the word of the Lord. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The Word of the Lord. So Katie Zettel is sharing a story with us today. She's a pastor. I'll introduce her here in a moment or she'll introduce herself. And she has this wonderful story about hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit while she's driving along the road. An invitation from him to stop and to pray for someone in the midst of her busy schedule. So let me turn to my interview with Katie and her sharing her story and then I'll share a few thoughts at the end. Well, welcome Katie. Glad you could join us today to share your Holy Spirit story. How are you doing?

[A]

I'm doing well, thank you for having me today, Dan.

[B]

Absolutely. Why don't you just tell us a little bit about yourself before we get into your story?

[A]

Sure. My name is Katie Zettel, and I am a pastor and serve in a Global Methodist church in western New York.

[B]

Okay. And you said you're outside of Buffalo?

[A]

Yes, the church is near Buffalo. It's a community outside of Buffalo. And I actually live in another county closer to Niagara Falls.

[B]

All right, very good. Well, I just loved your story. I thought it illustrated so well just the promptings of the Holy Spirit and then how obedience works. And so I'd love if you just shared your story and then I'll ask you a question or two when you're done.

[A]

Thank you. Of course, I'd love to share it. Go for it. So on Sunday, June 25, Dan shared in the wake up call entry. Kingdom 101 sails up. And I have had the Holy Spirit awaken me to people in the past. But on this particular Sunday, as I was heading to church, I saw a woman and two small children walking down a really busy road with a bag, a large white bag. And I was content to keep on driving when I heard the Holy Spirit say, pray for her. And I thought, right now. And the voice in my heart said, yes, right now, and turn around and pray for her. So I drove up to the next light, and then I turned around so that I would be on the same side of the street as they were. And just as I would have been close enough to roll down that window and talk to them, they crossed the. So I had to drive up to the next light, turn around again, and then I pulled up to where they were walking. At this time, I could see that the mom was carrying a big bag of bottles to return to the store. And I learned her name and the names of the children, and I asked if I could pray with her. And she said yes right away. And she reached in and we held hands through that open car window and we had a little conversation. And then I was able to help her with some resources. And as she squeezed my hand and we're getting ready to say goodbye, she said, you just made my day. And I gave each one of them a little tiny Jesus. I carry them in my cart just for those kind of moments. And I was so thankful for the Holy Spirit to get my attention and help me to remember. It's not about my schedule. It's about the people that Jesus loves.

[B]

Yeah. So good. So good. Thank you for sharing that. You know, there's so many Things I love about the story that I think kind of illustrate how the Holy Spirit works in us. Let's start with one of my favorite parts of it is how you felt this prompting. You turn, you try once, and they cross the street. And then I think I might have said, okay, Lord. Well, I guess maybe I'm not supposed to do that and continue on because gotta keep that schedule, right? And yet then you were like, no, I know this voice. I need to make it happen again. Just tell us a little bit about what was happening in you at the moment. Just kind of how that really feels in real time.

[A]

Yes. For me, I've had this voice over the years, numerous times. So I know exactly when it's the Holy Spirit's talking. And I don't know what I'm supposed to be used for. I don't know what the purpose is. And yet I do know that I need to be obedient in it. So I've always tried to follow through in whatever the Spirit asks me to as best as I can in whatever the situation is. It's this stirring in my heart that just will not let go. And it's not an audible voice in my ear. It's a voice coming from the depths of inside of me.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, that's so, so good. It's the way it works. And you get to know over time. It sounds like you've done this before. So you start to learn, discern through practice the difference between the Lord's voice and yours. Maybe one other question is after that moment, you know, we talk about how, you know, whole family lines change from moments like this. It's amazing what God does. What do you feel like changed in you just time after time? It's like. It's not. Each time is new. What maybe shifted in you and encouraged you from that?

[A]

Well, I think that this whole series of listening to the power of the Holy Spirit within me has just. It just re. Reminded me. It was a re remembering of sorts of that. I can't just go about my day. I think that when I drove away from them, I just gave glory to God for this opportunity because that was what it was. It was an opportunity to serve him. And for me, it may have been small, but for her, I believe it was quite an important moment for her day. And I just am so thankful that he continues to use me. And sometimes we get so caught up in our schedules and our to do lists that we forget that these are holy interruptions that God gives us and they're little assignments and they are huge blessings to us as well.

[B]

That is so good, Katie.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Well, I'd love if, if all of us as Sower nation, if you could just take a moment with me. Let's pray for Katie and thank the Lord for what he's done in her story. So let's pray together. Father, we give you thanks for Katie. We thank you for her love for you. We thank you even more for your love for her and how over her lifetime you have designed moments where others will be changed by your spirit moving through her and she will be changed in the process coming into greater communion with you, greater awareness of your love for her and your love for others. Thank you for giving her your heart and we bless her today and thank you for the stories that are to come and we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.

[A]

Thank you. And thank you, Dan, for all you're doing with the power of the Holy Spirit as well.

[B]

Absolutely. My privilege. Well, thanks again for joining in today, Katie. So grateful for your story.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

All right, bye now.

[A]

Bye.

[B]

I hope that story was as encouraging to you as it is to me. I just loved it when Katie first shared it with me and with us and I was eager to share it with you. It illustrates so many of the things we talked about earlier in the summer in our series all the everyday ministry in the power of the Spirit. She had the kingdom question in her heart. She was carrying it into the day. May I pray for you now? Could I pray for you? Can I pray for you? Is there something I could pray for you for? Whatever form it takes, it was in her heart. She's done that sort of thing before and it's become part of her regular rhythm in her community. And so then there was really stirring in the background our kingdom prayer. Your kingdom come, your will be done. And I really believe that as she saw what the father was doing, even having to turn around twice to see it through, she stayed with it. I love that she didn't just let go. She kind of stayed in the game. She perceived what the father was doing and partnered with him in something that not only has changed that woman in her children's lives, I believe for their entire lifetime, maybe a family line, but also she was touched by it. It really meant something to her in her life of faithfulness as a daughter of Jesus, as one of his sowers, his apprentices in the world. So there's so much we can learn from it. So today's prayer, I want to lead you in our prayer and then share the journal Prompts then we'll we'll sing together. So our prayer let's Pray together. Lord Jesus, thank you that you speak to me when I invite you to guide me today. Show me who you would like me to pray for, even if it means pausing my to do list. Give me the grace to put aside my have to's to join you in the get to of loving someone in your name. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. And here are our journal prompts for today. Someone once said that Jesus made an entire ministry out of his interruptions. Is there someone in your life right now that God is inviting you to pause to pray for? And it might even be as soon as you're done listening to this. If so, take a moment to write down their name. And if you still have your all the Things journal, it's a great place to just keep collecting these names and the prayers that you're writing for them. Write down their name and then write down a brief prayer for them. Then if the Lord leads you, consider sharing that prayer with them. It might be in person. It might be through a text or an email. Or the Lord might say, not right now. Remember, obeying Jesus, responding to his leading listening has not just a what I'm to do attached to it. It also has a how am I to do it? When am I to do it? Am I a part of a bigger story here? So the Lord may just say, I just want you to pray privately for them. I want you to journal this out. But then he may also say, as you ask him, lord, do you want me to share this? He might say, yeah, and here's the way I'd like you to do it. I'd like you to send them a voice memo today. Or I'd like you to share this prayer with them when you see them this week at a church service or somewhere else, whatever that is, respond to Jesus, have your sails up and lean in. So let's sing our Saturday song for our Holy Spirit stories. Sanctuary. And then I'll send us out. We'll send one another out. Jesus will send us out into the day as sowers of the seed of his word and as JD Often says, be the seed. So let's sing together. Sanctuary. Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary pure and holy, trite and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary. For you. Amen. Well, today we're moving into the fields that God has sent us to. And I really believe you're in your community for a reason. You're in your family for a reason. You have the neighbors you do for a reason. Would the Lord give you eyes to see, ears to hear what he's already doing in someone's life and then lean into that? All right, let's get our seeds together. The seed of the Word of God and the seed of his great love. Let's remember that awakening is the transformational journey of love from Jesus to a person through a person, to a person through a person, and so on and so on, as JD Says. And let's be that person through whom he ministers to others in love. All right, seeds in hand, I'll see you on the field for the awakening. I'm Dan Welby.